Hazleton-area Democrats look to re-energize party

ERIC CONOVER / times-shamrock
State Rep. Tarah Toohil, R-Butler Township, won re-election this year even though Democrats outnumber Republicans in the 116th Legislative District.

Frank Skokoski wants to help fellow Democrats in the Hazleton area rebound from losses in recent elections.

A former mayor of West Hazleton, Skokoski plans a meeting for Democrats early next year.

"I'd just like to get some new blood into the party," he said. "I think someone has to take the initiative."

In 2010, Democrats lost the area's seat in the state House of Representatives that Todd Eachus had held for 14 years. Tarah Toohil, who switched her registration to Republican before running and winning against Eachus two years ago, won re-election this year even though Democrats outnumber Republicans in the 116th Legislative District.

Hazleton Republicans also held the mayor's office and a majority of seats on city council after the 2011 municipal elections. When Republican Councilwoman Karin Cabell resigned Dec. 6, however, the Republicans replaced her on Wednesday with Kevin Schadder, a Democrat.

"I'm not there to vote with one party or one group of people," said Schadder, a mathematics teacher who led the city's zoning board before his appointment. "I think we need to get away from, especially in the Hazleton area, labeling a minority or a majority. I come with an open mind (as) one who is respectful of everyone."

In West Hazleton, Republicans and Democrats each have three seats on council, but the tie-breaking vote goes to Mayor Frank Schmidt, a Republican.

Schmidt said he only has had to cast one vote to break a tie in three years.

The willingness of Hazleton Republicans to appoint a Democrat and the rarity of deadlocks between Republicans and Democrats in West Hazleton point out a difference between politics at a local level and in Washington, D.C., where Congress more often splits along party lines.

"No matter who recommends it, if it is a good idea, we talk it over," Schmidt said.

David Sosar, a professor of political science at King's College, said local politics dilutes party affiliation.

In local elections, people will switch parties so they can vote for their friends and relatives in primary elections.

"It's a very fluid structure when you talk about local elections," Sosar said.

For state and national elections, voters have less incentive to switch parties because one vote carries less impact.

Sosar, a Republican, won a seat on Hazleton City Council in 1991 after he and Republican Evelyn Graham campaigned with Democratic mayoral candidate John Quigley.

"In local elections, it's really the person â¦ (it) really has more to do with who people want to support. The party doesn't make that much of a difference," Sosar said.

William Lockwood, a Democratic leader first elected to council in Hazleton in 1983, said candidates in city elections can win with fewer votes than they used to need.

Last year, Republican Joseph Yannuzzi became mayor of Hazleton by getting 1,489 votes compared to 1,331 for Democrat Grace Cuozzo.

In 1987, in comparison, Quigley needed 4,171 votes to defeat Republican incumbent John Ford, who received 3,270 votes.

"There's a lot of apathy," Lockwood said.

The ward system that helped political leaders get out the vote has deteriorated in Hazleton, he said.

Where Hazleton once had 24 wards, or voting precincts, the city now is divided into 11. Each ward is bigger so the task of keeping track of voters grew more difficult.

"What we used to do when I ran was sit in a room and go through street lists of eligible voters. Everybody had friends in the neighborhood," Lockwood said. Political workers would talk to their friends and relatives and report to each other about the popularity of candidates in the neighborhoods.

On Election Day, poll watchers would check off names of people as they arrived to vote. About 5 o'clock on election night, party workers would consult lists to find out who hadn't voted yet and call those people to remind them to vote.

"It worked pretty well," Lockwood said.

Sean Shamany, Republican chairman of the First Legislative District (the Hazleton area) of Luzerne County, said the region is more conservative than much of the nation.

Luzerne County has 111,052 registered Democrats, 63,996 Republicans and 19,424 voters of other or no party affiliation, as of Monday.

So even though Democrats outnumber Republicans in the county, they still gravitated toward Republican candidates like Toohil and Lou Barletta, who won his second term as a congressman after being elected three times as mayor of Hazleton.

"When they get in the polling booth (they) â¦ vote according to ethics and economics, and Republicans have been coming out on top," Shamany said.

Skokoski, meanwhile, thinks Republicans have been shrewd at dividing Democrats with issues like gun control, but he thinks the area would benefit from some of the policies that Democrats promote nationally.

"My belief is this is a blue-collar, Democratic neighborhood. The parties of the Republicans are not in the best interest of most of my neighborhood," Skokoski said. "These people need unions. They need Social Security. They need Medicare."

kjackson@standardspeaker.com 570-455-3636

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